Since last winter it was believed the Los Angeles Dodgers were going to trade Matt Kemp because they needed to free up some room in the outfield. He was their most attractive piece they were willing to part ways with. Dodgers' exec Andrew Friedman provided some clarity on the subject on Wednesday.
At the general managers meetings, Friedman said he plans to trade one of the team's outfielders between now and spring training. Friedman, the Dodgers new president of baseball operations, and recently hired general manager Farhan Zaidi are likely looking to move big contracts off the roster. Former GM Ned Colletti had the same idea last year but couldn't get anything done since Kemp and Carl Crawford were injured as well as underperforming.
"I think it's most likely the best course of action to move one of those players," Friedman said at the meetings, via this ESPN article. "We just don't have any hard and fast rules. We're open to have any discussions ... Obviously we need to figure out a way to line up on something that makes sense for us and another team to trade a guy and put ourselves in the best position to be more nimble with our roster and more flexible."
Although trading Yasiel Puig is probably their best bet due to his youth and potential, the Dodgers will likely shop Kemp, Crawford and Andre Ethier. Since Friedman's arrival it was speculated he would look to move one of these expensive outfielders and make room for prospect Joc Pederson, but now it's a reality. It comes as no surprise because Friedman and Zaidi worked for the Tampa Bay Rays and Oakland Athletics - two small market teams with some of the lowest payrolls in baseball. They concentrated on statistical efficiency as well as building their teams through the draft with young talent, and it looks as if they're taking part of that philosophy to the Dodgers, who have the biggest payroll in the MLB.
It'll be tough to get rid of Kemp, Crawford and Etheir because of their salaries, but the Dodgers will probably take a hit and pay off a portion of their contracts to get them out of town. Kemp is owed $107 million through 2019; Crawford is owed $62.25 million through 2017 and; Ethier is owed $56 million through 2017. Kemp and Crawford helped their stock with rebound seasons in 2014, but Ethier had a career-worst campaign, so it looks as if he's least likely to attract interest.
The Dodgers are in need of pitchers, whether it be a back-end starter or a solid arm in the bullpen, which helps their cause since they probably aren't looking for a highly valued position player. They could also use a catcher or a third baseman, but it's unlikely they'll receive a significant upgrade at those positions for the players they're trying to get rid of.
The general managers meetings came to an end this morning and now that each team has a decent idea where everyone stands, we could see trades begin to happen in the near future.
